The subject invention relates to method for monitoring for the presence of termites and exterminating termites once their presence is detected and to a termite-monitoring device that, while it can be used with in-ground termite lures, is especially adapted for use in the detection of termites beneath pavements (e.g. concrete and asphalt pavements such as but not limited to slabs, walkways, and roads).
Termites do more property damage in the United States than hurricanes, earthquakes and vandalism combined. In order to control termites with a toxicant (hereinafter “termiticide”), termites must come in contact with the termiticide. Termites ingress and egress a food source through underground and above ground tunnel tubes which extend between a colony nest and the food source, e.g. a building. These tunnel tubes are climate controlled and impervious to termiticides sprayed on the soil and, for as long as the termites remain sealed within their tunnel tubes, the termites are protected from contact with the termiticides sprayed on the soil.
While many methods and termite-monitoring devices have been used to exterminate termites, a need has remained to provide a method for exterminating termites and termite colonies: that is inexpensive and highly effective, that utilizes a termite presence monitoring device which is inexpensive, easy to use, and visibly indicates the presence of termites with an indicator button that is readily visible and can be monitored from above the monitoring device without disturbing the termites; that does not require the use of a toxic termite food source prior to the detection of termites; that gives the service technician the flexibility of exterminating the termites feeding on a termite food source within a paving hole or termite lure with a termiticide with or without contaminating the termite food source within the paving hole or termite lure; and that, preferably, utilizes a termiticide which is non-repellent to termites and lethal to termites through matrix contact as well as ingestion and/or transferal.
While there has been such a need for the improved detection and extermination of termites both in the ground beneath pavements and in the ground adjacent in-ground termite lures, the need has been especially great with regard to the detection and extermination of termites in the ground beneath pavements (e.g. concrete or asphalt pavements such as but not limited to slabs, walkways, and roads). In many locations, especially in urban environments, office parks, and shopping centers, office, industrial, commercial and other buildings are surrounded or at least partially surrounded by pavements (e.g. concrete and/or asphalt pavements such as but not limited to slabs, walkways, and roads) beneath which termites can pass to gain access to the buildings. Typically, these pavements are concrete slabs about four to six inches thick. One method of treating termites passing under these pavements with termiticides involves boring holes three inches in diameter through the slabs and into the soil beneath the slabs. Wooden sticks about three to four inches long with strings attached thereto are placed down into the holes with the strings extending from the holes so that the sticks can be retrieved when checking for termite activity. Expansible plugs are placed in and seal the upper ends of the holes in the slabs so that rainwater, debris, etc. do not pass down into the holes. The expansible plugs are also used to help keep the strings holding the wooden sticks from falling down into the holes thereby making it hard to retrieve the sticks from the holes to monitor for termite activity. In an improved method disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,612,068 B1, issued Sep. 2, 2003, the expansible plug and wooden stick of the method discussed above are replaced by an expansible plug and termite lure such as shown in FIG. 4 of the '068 patent or an integral expansible plug and termite lure such as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 of the '068 patent. While the termite lure and method disclosed in the '068 patent are an improvement over the previous termite lure and method discussed above, the termite lure and method disclosed in the '068 patent still require the boring of a series of holes, each about three inches in diameter and on about ten foot center-to-center spacing, through the pavement. The core drills, other drilling equipment, and labor required to drill these three inch diameter holes through the pavement make these methods for detecting and exterminating termites relatively expensive with the formation of these three inch diameter holes typically costing about $12.00/hole. Thus, there has remained a need for a termite-monitoring device and method for detecting and exterminating termites that is easy to practice, effective, and low cost.